AA/Qantas no longer codesharing on some routes, what a mess, need advice

Hi all

 

I hope there are some people here who can help me with this. It is a bit lengthy but I wanted to provide enough details to make it clear. Yesterday, 9 months after booking our flights to/from Sydney, and less than a week before we leave, we got an email from AA changing our flights. We were set to fly from ABQ to DFW and take the Qantas QF8 flight that was code-shared with AA 7375. AA changed us to an AA flight (73?) out of LAX and took away our PE seats (because they don't even offer them on this flight). I was told by AA this was caused by their system re-assigning us due to the discontinued code-sharing partnership between AA and QF.

 

I called AA and after 6 hours (4 with me and AA, 1 hour DH calling Qantas, and then 1 hour of me calling Qantas), it appears to be fixed. We were put back on our original flights, thru DFW. I received a new email that shows this. Then I called Qantas to verify they still had us on their flight and in our PE seats. They did confirm that and I felt a little better. But now, I am concerned that this won't all work out and we will get to Qantas at DFW and they will tell us we aren't on their flight.

 

My question--is there anyplace I can go or call to confirm that we are really all set or do we just have to cross our fingers and hope? I have checked AA and Qantas sites today and they have us, our AA reservation says ticketed yesterday (Mar 2). I was able to enter our passport info today on AA and ordered meals on Qantas last night, which seems like a good sign.

 

I will skip over most of the horrid AA customer service where I was told "nothing we can do, if you want a refund for the PE seats you paid for but won't get, you can write to Customer Relations when you get back and see if they can do anything". And, to cap it off they couldn't even change my seats, which was the last straw. i asked to speak to a supervisor (thinking one of them could at least get us seats). I was connected to one, and then almost immediately "disconnected". This actually ended up being a good thing, since I called back a little later and the supervisor I had been speaking with wasn't available and I got a different one--an absolute treasure named Nina!! She was the one who got us back on our flights and told me of course we could get a refund for PE (which we ended up not needing), she wasn't sure why they told me this.

 

Anyway, I would appreciate any advice from more experienced flyers. BTW, after they told me about the code-sharing thing, I looked it up. It is true they won't code-share on flights where they directly compete but this was to be for new bookings after Feb 1. We obviously had an old booking, and AA and QF don't directly compete to SYD out of DFW, so this never made any sense to me.

 

Thanks

ML

Hi all

 

I hope there are some people here who can help me with this. It is a bit lengthy but I wanted to provide enough details to make it clear. Yesterday, 9 months after booking our flights to/from Sydney, and less than a week before we leave, we got an email from AA changing our flights. We were set to fly from ABQ to DFW and take the Qantas QF8 flight that was code-shared with AA 7375. AA changed us to an AA flight (73?) out of LAX and took away our PE seats (because they don't even offer them on this flight). I was told by AA this was caused by their system re-assigning us due to the discontinued code-sharing partnership between AA and QF.

 

I called AA and after 6 hours (4 with me and AA, 1 hour DH calling Qantas, and then 1 hour of me calling Qantas), it appears to be fixed. We were put back on our original flights, thru DFW. I received a new email that shows this. Then I called Qantas to verify they still had us on their flight and in our PE seats. They did confirm that and I felt a little better. But now, I am concerned that this won't all work out and we will get to Qantas at DFW and they will tell us we aren't on their flight.

 

My question--is there anyplace I can go or call to confirm that we are really all set or do we just have to cross our fingers and hope? I have checked AA and Qantas sites today and they have us, our AA reservation says ticketed yesterday (Mar 2). I was able to enter our passport info today on AA and ordered meals on Qantas last night, which seems like a good sign.

 

I will skip over most of the horrid AA customer service where I was told "nothing we can do, if you want a refund for the PE seats you paid for but won't get, you can write to Customer Relations when you get back and see if they can do anything". And, to cap it off they couldn't even change my seats, which was the last straw. i asked to speak to a supervisor (thinking one of them could at least get us seats). I was connected to one, and then almost immediately "disconnected". This actually ended up being a good thing, since I called back a little later and the supervisor I had been speaking with wasn't available and I got a different one--an absolute treasure named Nina!! She was the one who got us back on our flights and told me of course we could get a refund for PE (which we ended up not needing), she wasn't sure why they told me this.

 

Anyway, I would appreciate any advice from more experienced flyers. BTW, after they told me about the code-sharing thing, I looked it up. It is true they won't code-share on flights where they directly compete but this was to be for new bookings after Feb 1. We obviously had an old booking, and AA and QF don't directly compete to SYD out of DFW, so this never made any sense to me.

 

Thanks

ML

 

QF should have the definitive answer for you. Sounds like you talked to them.

QF should have the definitive answer for you. Sounds like you talked to them.

 

 

Thanks for your reply. Yes, I spoke to them and they say we are confirmed. I am just concerned after yesterday. Is your advice to just assume we are OK?

 

Thanks

ML

You said the new ticket was issued on March 2. Look at the e-ticket receipt. Be sure that the routing is correct and note the ticket number. The ticket number will be your friend if you encounter any issues along the way, but I doubt you will.

You said the new ticket was issued on March 2. Look at the e-ticket receipt. Be sure that the routing is correct and note the ticket number. The ticket number will be your friend if you encounter any issues along the way, but I doubt you will.

 

 

Yes, that's all true. I looked at the email I received but can't find a ticket number in it. or on the AA site, when i look at trip details. Is there a way for me to find this info?

 

Love your confidence, hope you are right :)

 

thanks

ML

Yes, that's all true. I looked at the email I received but can't find a ticket number in it. or on the AA site, when i look at trip details. Is there a way for me to find this info?

 

Don't look in the trip details, look online at the actual receipt. The ticket number should be listed. Note: The ticket number is a long string of numbers (13 digits I think), not the 6 digit locator code. I seldom fly AA so I'm not really familiar with their website, but on the Delta site there's a place to click to view the actual receipt and that's where the ticket number shows up.

It's a Qantas flight...you called Qantas and they confirmed you are on said flight...what more do you want?

 

 

Stop over thinkng this.

There have been on going rumors, for quite a while that Qantus, along with Cathay Pacific, are going to split from one world. AA has blocked Emirates Air from joining one world for a few years. Emirates is already partnered with some of the one world carries individually. Emirates will probably be the new Airlines into a new powerhouse group. AA and BA , along with some smaller carriers like Jordanian may be all that's left of oneworld by summer time.

 

Fwiw, a year ago, AA won't let me book the Qantus flight out of DFW. They only wanted me to go through LAX. I ended up buying round trip tickets BNA-DFW in AA, and then the Qantus tickets direct. I tried booking the entire flight on Qantus, but they told me AA was blocking them to do so, by wanting a $1K add on for those legs.

 

These problems between the airlines have been brewing for awhile.

There have been on going rumors, for quite a while that Qantus, along with Cathay Pacific, are going to split from one world. AA has blocked Emirates Air from joining one world for a few years. Emirates is already partnered with some of the one world carries individually. Emirates will probably be the new Airlines into a new powerhouse group. AA and BA , along with some smaller carriers like Jordanian may be all that's left of oneworld by summer time.

 

Fwiw, a year ago, AA won't let me book the Qantus flight out of DFW. They only wanted me to go through LAX. I ended up buying round trip tickets BNA-DFW in AA, and then the Qantus tickets direct. I tried booking the entire flight on Qantus, but they told me AA was blocking them to do so, by wanting a $1K add on for those legs.

 

These problems between the airlines have been brewing for awhile.

 

 

I think you're right, this will be more of a problem moving forward. I guess I should be happy Nina was able to get me back on the flights, at no additional cost. Still a little nervous it will all fall apart. Next time, i will do what you did--book separate flights. I bet I still have to get my bags and take them to Qantus at DFW :D

 

Thanks

ML

Don't look in the trip details, look online at the actual receipt. The ticket number should be listed. Note: The ticket number is a long string of numbers (13 digits I think), not the 6 digit locator code. I seldom fly AA so I'm not really familiar with their website, but on the Delta site there's a place to click to view the actual receipt and that's where the ticket number shows up.

 

 

OK, I'll give this a try. Thanks.

It's a Qantas flight...you called Qantas and they confirmed you are on said flight...what more do you want?

 

 

Stop over thinkng this.

 

 

it isn't just a Qantas flight and they have already messed this up once. If you aren't going to read the thread, don't comment.

 

What i want is people like you who don't add any value to stop replying.

My question--is there anyplace I can go or call to confirm that we are really all set or do we just have to cross our fingers and hope? I have checked AA and Qantas sites today and they have us, our AA reservation says ticketed yesterday (Mar 2). I was able to enter our passport info today on AA and ordered meals on Qantas last night, which seems like a good sign.

One independent check you can do: take the booking reference that works on the Qantas website (which will be different from the primary reference used by AA) to www.checkmytrip.com - you need to click Login but then you can pull up a single booking without having to register for an account. This should quickly confirm the reservations held for you on Qantas. It may confirm both your ticket number (probably 13 digits starting 001) and the routing covered by the ticket, and may also show the AA flights you have reservations for. Does all of that look like what you expect to see?

 

That is a good check because the information comes straight out of the reservation system used by Qantas (ie Amadeus, which runs that site as a public portal).

One independent check you can do: take the booking reference that works on the Qantas website (which will be different from the primary reference used by AA) to www.checkmytrip.com - you need to click Login but then you can pull up a single booking without having to register for an account. This should quickly confirm the reservations held for you on Qantas. It may confirm both your ticket number (probably 13 digits starting 001) and the routing covered by the ticket, and may also show the AA flights you have reservations for. Does all of that look like what you expect to see?

 

That is a good check because the information comes straight out of the reservation system used by Qantas (ie Amadeus, which runs that site as a public portal).

 

 

Thank you Globaliser. I was hoping you would see my post and be able to help. I tried this and it definitely showed me all I expected to see (except the ticket number. Not sure why I can never see it). The info shown is the Qantas flight to SYD, then the 2 return flights from SYD back to ABQ. It doesn't show the AA flight to Dallas, but I think that is because of the recent code-share thing. When I go to the AA site, it has my all my flights, even the QF to SYD, but now only shows the QF flight number, not the AA number too.

 

Thanks for your help. I think it might be all OK, as long as while we are gone they don't do anything to our return flights. Do you think I am correct in assuming this won't be an issue since these flights were never changed? It will be a lot harder for me to contact AA from Australia or NZ.

 

ML

. We were put back on our original flights, thru DFW. I received a new email that shows this. Then I called Qantas to verify they still had us on their flight and in our PE seats. They did confirm that and I felt a little better.

 

 

ML

 

 

What part did I get wrong? Your own words said you called QF and they verified you were still on their flight with PE seats. Please explain what I got wrong before you get snippy.:rolleyes:

\

What i want is people like you who don't add any value to stop replying.

 

 

Get over yourself.:rolleyes:

To Globaliser, waterbug and others asking about the ticket number

 

I went back to our original receipt and found it! Now, how does that help me with my flights? No letters in the number.

 

ML

The 13 digit ticket number IS the ticket - in electronic form. The six character locator is just that. It's a pointer to the underlying ticket.

 

FYI - it is entirely possible to have a locator and NO ticket. Especially with codeshares and multiple carriers on a trip, sometimes it just doesn't get properly ticketed. Rare, but I've had it happen to me. Fortunately, I had checked before flying and found no ticket. Eventually it got sorted out but wasn't something I wanted to fight at the airport.

 

The ticket number is more universally recognized than the locator, which is often system dependent.

 

So, the pro tip of the night is to have both the locator (6 characters) AND the ticket number (13 digits) with you. And don't assume you are ticketed until you can find your ticket number. Perhaps a bit overly cautious, but make your own evaluation of the effort involved.

I tried this and it definitely showed me all I expected to see (except the ticket number. Not sure why I can never see it). The info shown is the Qantas flight to SYD, then the 2 return flights from SYD back to ABQ. It doesn't show the AA flight to Dallas, but I think that is because of the recent code-share thing. When I go to the AA site, it has my all my flights, even the QF to SYD, but now only shows the QF flight number, not the AA number too.

Trying to guess from what you've posted: Did you originally book four AA flight numbers, with the DFW-SYD and SYD-DFW sectors operated by Qantas as QF8 and QF7? And on the AA site you now see an AA number for ABQ-DFW, QF8, QF7 and another AA number for DFW-ABQ? And the QF site shows flights 2, 3 and 4 but not the ABQ-DFW flight?

 

If neither the QF site nor CheckMyTrip show you a ticket number, then you may want to check the AA site again for this. If your tickets were reissued because of the flight number changes, as your earlier post suggests, you may well have a new ticket number for a ticket issued on 2 March 2017. The original ticket number (from 8 months ago) is going to be of limited help although if push came to shove it's better than nothing. And it is correct that it is all-numeric.

 

Others may be able to help more with whether and where you can get the ticket number out of the AA website. If you can't find it on the AA site, then it might be worth calling AA and asking whether you have had a ticket reissue and what the new ticket number is. Don't get fobbed off by six-character booking references; that's not what you're looking for. The booking record will show you which flights you have reservations for, but the ticket is the document of value that entitles you to travel, and if you have no valid ticket you won't travel even if you have a reservation on the flight.

 

If you're interested, here is an overview of the withdrawal of the AA codes from those QF flights (with links to the backstory): http://australianaviation.com.au/2017/01/american-and-qantas-wind-back-cooperation-ahead-of-second-effort-to-win-us-approval-on-expanded-alliance/

The 13 digit ticket number IS the ticket - in electronic form. The six character locator is just that. It's a pointer to the underlying ticket.

 

FYI - it is entirely possible to have a locator and NO ticket. Especially with codeshares and multiple carriers on a trip, sometimes it just doesn't get properly ticketed. Rare, but I've had it happen to me. Fortunately, I had checked before flying and found no ticket. Eventually it got sorted out but wasn't something I wanted to fight at the airport.

 

The ticket number is more universally recognized than the locator, which is often system dependent.

 

So, the pro tip of the night is to have both the locator (6 characters) AND the ticket number (13 digits) with you. And don't assume you are ticketed until you can find your ticket number. Perhaps a bit overly cautious, but make your own evaluation of the effort involved.

 

Just to add one additional detail to Flyertalker's good explanation:

You will have ONE 13-digit ticket number, but if your itinerary includes flights operated by more than one airline, then USUALLY you will have a separate 6-digit locator code for each airline involved. (Occasionally some airline partners use the same computer system and will use the same locator code.).

I'm using the MyFlights app on my laptop,http://www.myflightsapp.com/, and it shows our ticket numbers. You may have to post both the AA and Quantas flights to see everything.

Trying to guess from what you've posted: Did you originally book four AA flight numbers, with the DFW-SYD and SYD-DFW sectors operated by Qantas as QF8 and QF7? And on the AA site you now see an AA number for ABQ-DFW, QF8, QF7 and another AA number for DFW-ABQ? And the QF site shows flights 2, 3 and 4 but not the ABQ-DFW flight?

 

If neither the QF site nor CheckMyTrip show you a ticket number, then you may want to check the AA site again for this. If your tickets were reissued because of the flight number changes, as your earlier post suggests, you may well have a new ticket number for a ticket issued on 2 March 2017. The original ticket number (from 8 months ago) is going to be of limited help although if push came to shove it's better than nothing. And it is correct that it is all-numeric.

 

Others may be able to help more with whether and where you can get the ticket number out of the AA website. If you can't find it on the AA site, then it might be worth calling AA and asking whether you have had a ticket reissue and what the new ticket number is. Don't get fobbed off by six-character booking references; that's not what you're looking for. The booking record will show you which flights you have reservations for, but the ticket is the document of value that entitles you to travel, and if you have no valid ticket you won't travel even if you have a reservation on the flight.

 

If you're interested, here is an overview of the withdrawal of the AA codes from those QF flights (with links to the backstory): http://australianaviation.com.au/2017/01/american-and-qantas-wind-back-cooperation-ahead-of-second-effort-to-win-us-approval-on-expanded-alliance/

 

 

Globaliser

 

yes, this is exactly what I see--you must be psychic :D I also found our ticket numbers thanks to all the advice here. It is interesting--the tickets issued on Mar 2 have a different number from our original tickets, even though i used the old number on the AA site and it worked. There is a note that says "exchange". So, does this mean we are all legal and no more surprises?

 

Thanks for the link too--a better explanation than what I found when I googled this.

 

I am guessing as a result of all this, we will have to collect our bags at DFW and drag them over to Qantas but no problem, we have lots of time.

 

Thanks all for your advice, a big help

ML

 

PS: I have tried to post this 3 times and keep getting a capcha prompt, which never seems to work.

I'm using the MyFlights app on my laptop,http://www.myflightsapp.com/, and it shows our ticket numbers. You may have to post both the AA and Quantas flights to see everything.

 

 

Thanks for this tip--I am going to bookmark it for the future.

 

ML

I also found our ticket numbers thanks to all the advice here. It is interesting--the tickets issued on Mar 2 have a different number from our original tickets, even though i used the old number on the AA site and it worked. There is a note that says "exchange". So, does this mean we are all legal and no more surprises?

Yes, I think you're fine. The new ticket number is because you have literally been issued a new ticket. In the old days, you would have handed in your old ticket book and the airline agent or travel agent would have issued you a new ticket book with the new ticket number. It's useful, though, that the old ticket number will still pull up the booking.

 

I am guessing as a result of all this, we will have to collect our bags at DFW and drag them over to Qantas but no problem, we have lots of time.

No, AA should through-check the bags all the way to SYD because you have one ticket for the whole of that trip. You're contractually entitled to it!

 

On the way back, QF may through-check to ABQ - but even if it does, you will have to clear immigration at DFW, collect your bags, clear customs and then give the bags back to AA. That's simply the normal arrival formalities at your first US port.

 

Thanks for this tip--I am going to bookmark it for the future.

MyFlights is a great resource, but I suspect that you will find that it will only take the Qantas reference and that the AA reference won't work. I think that's the current state of play.

NoWhiners;

 

If you give the AA check in Agent a copy of your Qantus itinerary, she will be able to combine the records and send your bags all the way through. They will also even print out your boarding pass for the Qantus flight for you. One of the advantages of them still being one world partners. You'll never have to leave the secure area.

If you give the AA check in Agent a copy of your Qantus itinerary, she will be able to combine the records and send your bags all the way through. They will also even print out your boarding pass for the Qantus flight for you. One of the advantages of them still being one world partners.

No need to show the AA agent anything. The agent will see what the OP can see on the AA website: they are connecting from the AA ABQ-DFW flight to QF8, on the same itinerary and the same ticket. The through-check entitlement is contractual, and has nothing to do with Qantas being another oneworld partner.

 

If there are two separate tickets, then AIUI AA's current policy is no through-check even if the second flight is on a oneworld airline.